Tufting mechanism



Oct. 15, 1935. H. J. SCHOMER V 2 ,017,326

TUFTING MECHANI SM Filed March 5, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 15, 1935. HJ SCHQME R 2,017,326

TUFTING MEQHANISM I Filed March 3, 1934 '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IIIIIIIIIIIIIJMI. E?

Kim

IVIIIIIIIIIIIIJ atented ct. 1 E3 o MECHANISM Henry I. Schomer,

Waite Carpet Company,

Oshkosh, Wis., assignor to Oshkosh, Wia, a eor-= 11 Claims.-

Tbis invention relates to tufting mechanism adapted to be incorporatedinto a sewing machine for the purpose of drawing out the threads in aseries of loops and cutting the same to form 5 tufts, so that theresulting product will exhibit the characteristics of a tufted rug.

The mechanism of the present invention is designed as a modification inthe structure of a sewing machine of standard form equipped with meansfor introducing the loops from a needle over the tip of an oscillatingcombined looper and cutter along which the succeeding loops will becrowded by the feeding movements of the fabric and ultimately severedand released in the form of tufts which constitute the exposed pilesurface of the completed rug.

The oscillating looper of the present invention is designed to operatewith an oscillatory needle, which swings forwardly during the feeding ofthe fabric and backwardly on the upward movement of the needle, althoughthe looper and cutter may be employed with a machine in which the needlehas a straight line reciprocatory move-' ment.

In certain previous tufting machines with which I am familiar, astationary looper and cutter has been employed in association with anoscillating reciprocatory needle, but in such cases the cutting of theloops is effected entirely by the slipping of the loops along the edgeof the stationary cutter, which requires that, the cutting edge be keptextremely sharp at all times, and precludes the use of heavy or toughyarn, which is not easily severed. By combining the cutter with theoscillating head which carries the looper I am enabled to secure theadvantage of a .positively movable cutter which is more effective forcertain classes of work than the stationary cutter previously referredto. In addition to the advantage derived from mounting the cutter on theoscillating head I make provision for the positive rotation of thecutter, which is in the form of a thin disk or wheel, so that thecutting operation will be efiectively performed at all times. At thesame time, by mounting the looper and cutter on the oscillatory head,the mechanism is rendered extremely compact and simple in constructionand sumciently rugged to withstand hard usage for a long period of time.

Further details and advantages will appear from a description of theinventionin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein,-

Figure l is aside elevation partially sectioned of a sewing machine ofthe Singer type, employ- I ing within a slot 38 in a lever it, which ispiving the looper and cutter of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional elevation through the rear standard of thesewing machine;

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views of the combined looper and cutter associatedwith the needle, showing three positions in the cycle of operations;

Fig.7 is a sectional elevation taken on line i of Fig. 4, showing theparts in the positions illus- 1 trated in Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions illustratedin Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 is a similar view, showing the parts in the position illustratedin Fig. 6; and Fig. 10 is a similar view illustrating the coactionbetween the needle and the needle guide block.

The present invention is shown in association with a sewing machinecomprising a base or plat- 20 form 20, provided at its rear end with ahollow standard 2| which carries a. forwardly extending arm 22terminating in a head 23. which encloses the mechanism for reciprocatingand oscillating the needle; but in view of the fact that these 25 partsare of standard sewing machine construction constituting a well knowntype of Singer. sewing machine, it is not deemed necessary to describethe mechanism provided for actuating the needle. Such mechanism isoperated by a shaft 30.

The needle 21 is carried-by a rod 28, and the 35 needle operates througha presser foot 28 secured to the lower end of a rod 30 suitably actuatedto afford the necessary feeding movements to the iabric in a manner wellunderstood in the sewing machine art.

, Below the platform 26 are located the parts which more especially formthe subject matter of the present invention. These parts include adisk-shaped oscillating head 3i provided on its rear face with spacedlugs 32 furnishing a chuck 45 for engagement with the squared head 33 onthe forward end of an oscillating shaft 3% provided at its rear end withan arm 35 which is connected by a pivot 38 with a slide block 37 operat-5c oted upon a pintle 4G and has, its opposite end M pivoted to a pitman42 operating on the crank shaft 25.

The relationship of the parts is such that continued rotary movement ofthe shaft 24 will be 55 transformed into a rocking movement of the lever39, which in turn will be imparted through the arm 35 to the shaft 34,so that oscillatory movements will be imparted to the oscillating head3| in properly timed relation to the movements of the needle. Obviouslyother mechanical connections of an equivalent nature might beemployed'for imparting the necessary movements to the needle and to theoscillating head.

The circular oscillating head within its rim is cut away to afford acurved slot 43 leaving the rim 44 in the form of a hook or bill-shapedvlooper which extends throughout a little more than one-half thecircumference of the circular oscillating head, and is provided at itsforward or free'end with a hooked tip 45, the configuration of thelooper being that of a slender curved finger.

In front of the tip of the looper the metal is cutaway to afford a gap46 which permits the needle to enter, and immediately opposite the gapis located a needle guide block 41 which is screwedor otherwise securedto the uncut center portion 48' of the oscillating head. The guide blockis rounded on its inner fact to permit the point of the needle tocontact and slip by the block in order to bring the needle on each ofits reciprocations into exact relation to the tip of the looper. Theneedle is provided with the usual eye 49 and is cut away or scarfed atthe 'point 50 adjacent to the eye so as to afford a clearance betweenthe needle and the loop of yarn 5| for the entrance of the tip end ofthe looper when the needleis properly positioned.

At the rear end of the base of the slot 43 is located a circular ordisk-shaped cutter 52, which is keyed upon a pintle 53 joumaled by abracket 54 which is rigidly secured to the oscillating head. The pintlehas keyed thereto apinion 55 which meshes with a stationary pinion 56,the arrangement being such that the pinion 55 will oscillate with thehead and rideupon .the stationary pinion 56, so that during suchmovements, rotation will be imparted to the cutter disk in a directioncorresponding in each instance to the back and forth or oscillatorymovements imparted to the oscillating head as a whole.

The oscillating head is journaled within a circular recess 51 in ajournal head casting 58, i

which is secured by screws 59 to lugs 60 which depend from the base orplatform 20 constituting part of the main frame of the machine. Thefront face of the casting is extended or thickened in the form of a boss6|, which partially embraces the periphery of the oscillating head andis rabbeted at the point 62 to afford an outer shoulder, which inconjunction with a split guide ring 63 furnishes a guideway for theoscillations of the head. The split guide ring is clamped in place byspring prongs 54 which unite in aspring' head 65 which is held inclamping relation by aj'screw 66.

The stationary pinion 56 is keyed upon a pin 61 iwhich extends inwardlyfrom a bracket ,arm 68 secured to the boss GI and extending inwardlytoward the center thereof. The inner end of the pin 61 is centeredwithin a recess 69 in the front face of the oscillating head andconcentric with its axis of oscillation, so that as the head oscillates,the pinion 55 will remain fixed and stationary and thus afford the meansfor imparting rotative movements to the pinion 55 and the cutter disk 52associated therewith.

amaze Operation In the operation of the device we may assume that theparts stand in the position shown in Fig. 4 with the needle elevated andwith the oscillating head in its extreme position of clockwisemovement.- This illustrates a position in which the rotating cutter disk52 has just severed the next preceding loop in advance of the one lastdischarged from the needle. Thereafter the oscillating head will move ina counter-clockwise direction to the extreme position shown in Fig .-6and through the position illustrated in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5 shows the parts in an intermediate .posi- 'on'with the needlepiercing the fabric and approaching the looper. In Fig. 6 the tip of thelooper has swung past the needle but still retains the last precedingloop of yarn in uncut condition, and with the parts thus positioned thetip of the needle will lie against the curved guide block 41 and be heldagainst displacement as the tip of the looper begins to move to theright and through the space afforded by the scarf in the needle, so thatat the beginning of the clockwise stroke a new loop will be engaged.Such engagement is also facilitated by the forward swing of theoscillatory needle in the particular embodiment shown, although in caseswhere a straight line reciprocating needle is employed the mode ofoperation is not essentially different.

During the continued movement of the oscillating head in clockwisedirection, the two uncut loops will stand in adjacent relation to oneislongitudinally slotted at the point adjacent to the periphery of thecutter disk,'so that the disk will thus act through the looper andengage that portion of each of the loops which bridges or spans acrossthe inner face of the looper, which thus holds this portion of the loopvin taut condition during the advance of the rotating cutter toward theloop.

By forming the looper in the manner shown and by giving it an arcuateconfiguration concentric of its axis of oscillatory movement, the loopermay be madeof sufiicient length to easily accommodate the operationslast described, and to permit the rotating cutter, with its operatingtrain, to be mounted in the manner described. It will be understood thatduring its oscillatory movements, the looper will slip through the unoutloops and at all times hold the same in,taut condition until the arrivalof the cutter and the severance of the foremost loop. This method ofsevering the loops is advantageous in that it relieves the loops fromthe tension which might otherwise 'be occasioned during the cuttingoperation, so that each loop will be easily severed without tending topull out or disturb the loop arrangement, even though somewhat heavy andtough yarn be employed in the stitching of the tufts.

The device as a whole is extremely compact, and the parts constitutingthe present invention are in the form of a self-contained unit which maybe readily applied to or removed from a sewing machine of standardconstruction, with but slight to a minimum, and the parts are properlyheld and reinforced to permit of rapid operation under conditions whichrequire extreme precision in order to insure the proper timing relationand proper presentation of the looper to the eye of the needle.

Although the device has been described with considerable particularityas to detail, it is not the intention, unless otherwise indicated in theclaims, to limit the construction to the details shown, sincemodifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention;

I claim: 1. In a tufting machine of the class described, the combinationof a reciprocating needle, an oscillating head and means for affordingoscillatory bill-shaped looper, a rotating loop cutter carried by theoscillating head, and means actuated by the oscillations of theoscillating head for rotating the cutter.

3. In a tufting machine of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, an oscillating head and means for affordingoscillatory movements thereto in timed relation to the move ments of theneedle, said head having a portion of its periphery configured in theform of a billshaped looper, a rotating loop cutter carried by theoscillating head, and a gear train actuated by the oscillations of theoscillating head for rotating the cutter.

4. In a tufting machine of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, an oscillating head and means for affordingoscillatory movements thereto in timed relation to the movements of theneedle, said head having a portion of its periphery configured in theform of a bill-shaped looper, a rotating loop cutter carried by theoscillating head, and a gear train for rotating the cutter including afixed pinion mounted concentrically with respect to the oscillating headand an intermeshing pinion fixedly :onnected to and movable with therotating cut- 5. In tufting mechanism of the class described, thecombination of a reciprocating needle, a circular oscillating head andmeans for imparting oscillations thereto in timed relation to themovements of the needle, said head being cut away on its interior toafford an arc-shaped looper around a portion of its periphery, and arotating cutter journaled upon and movable with the oscillating headinto position to sever loops engaged by the looper, and means forimparting rotation to the cutter.

6. In tufting mechanism of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, a circular oscillating head and means forimparting oscillations thereto in timed relation to the movements of.the needle, said head being cut away on its interior to afford anarc-shaped looper around a portion of its periphery, and a rotatingcutter journaled upon and movable with the oscillating head intoposition to sever loops engaged by the looper, and means for impartingrotation to the cutter, said means being actuated by the oscillations ofthe oscillating head.

'7. In tufting mechanism of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, a circular oscillating head and means forimparting oscillations thereto in timed relation to the movements of theneedle, said head being cut away on its interior to afford an arc-shapedlooper around a portion of its periphery, and a rotating cutterjournaled upon and movable with the oscillating head into position tosever loops engaged by the looper, and means for imparting rotation tothe cutter, said means being actuated by the oscillations of theoscillating head and including a pinion carried by the rotating cutterand a fixed center pinion with which the former pinion meshes.

8. In tufting mechanism of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, a circular oscillating head and means forimparting oscillations thereto in timed relation to the movements of theneedle, said head being cut away on its interior to afford an arc-shapedlooper arounda portion of its periphery, and a rotating cutter journaledupon and movable with the oscillating head into position to sever loopsengaged by the looper, and means for imparting rotation to the cutter,said means being actuated by the oscillations of the oscillating headand including a pinion carried by the rotating cutter and a fixed centerpinion with which the former pinion meshes, the looper being slottedadjacent to the rotating cutter to-permit the edge thereof to projectthrough the looper to sever loops while distended thereby.

9. In tufting mechanism of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, a looper mounted to bring its free end toward andfrom the needle to engage and carry loops discharged from the needle,and a rotating cutter carried by the movable looper and adapted on eachforward advance of the looper to sever the foremost loop engaged by thelooper, and means for rotating the cutter including a pinion carried bythe cutter and a fixedly mouthed toothed memher with which said pinionmeshes.

10. In tufting mechanism of the class described, the combination of areciprocating needle, a movable looper mounted to bring its free endtoward and from the needle to engage and carry loops discharged from theneedle, and a rotating cutter wheel journaled on and movable with themovable looper and adapted on each forward advance of the looper tosever the foremost loop engaged by the looper, and means for rotatingthe cutter wheel concurrently with its forward movement.

11. In tufting mechanism of the class described, the/combination of areciprocating needle, a movable looper mounted to bring its free endtoward and from the needle to engage and carry loops discharged from theneedle, and a rotating cutter wheel journaled on and movable with themovable looper and adapted on each forward advance of the looper tosever the foremost loop engaged by the looper, and means actuated by themovements of the looper for rotating the cutterconcurrently with itsforward movement.

HENRY J. SCHOMER).

